Baghdad: During a meeting with the Governor of Baghdad, the Minister of Education discussed the school building crisis in the capital, highlighting the ministry’s top priority project as requiring urgent review. Minister of Education Abdul Karim Abtan al-Jubouri discussed with Baghdad Governor Atwan al-Atwani the crisis of school building shortages, the need to eliminate double shifts, and obstacles to the project, particularly regarding schools whose construction has been withdrawn and those with low completion rates, with the possibility of reassigning them to new contractors.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, al-Jubouri emphasized in a statement that Iraq is facing a school building crisis, with a number of prefabricated and mud-brick schools failing to meet safety standards. He described this situation as “shameful” given the size of the budgets allocated.

He praised the governor’s support for the education sector, noting the cooperation with the Ministries of Planning and Finance.

The Minister of Education directed the formation of a joint committee to update the designs of the project, which was initiated in 2011, and to review capacities and costs in light of population growth. He also directed the preparation of a report on 127 schools in Baghdad to be submitted to the Council of Ministers.